Recombination analysis reveals a double recombination event in hepatitis E virus

Recombination of Hepatitis E Virus (HEV) has rarely been reported. In the present study, phylogenetic and recombination analyses were performed on 134 complete HEV genomes. Three potentially significant recombination events, including both intra-genotype and one inter-genotype, were identified by recombination detection analysis. Recombination events I and II occurred intra-genotype and inter-genotype, respectively, among three isolates, including the lineage represented by CHN-XJ-SW13 (GU119961, swine isolate), E067-SIJ05C (AB369690, human isolate), and JJT-Kan (AB091394, human isolate), and lead to the recombinant swine isolate swCH31 (DQ450072). Recombination event III occurred between the lineage represented by the NA1 (M73218) and K52-87 (L25595), which resulted in the recombinant Xingjiang-1 (D11092). Our analyses proved that that recombination could occur between human and swine HEV strains, double recombination events existed in HEV, and recombination event could happen within ORF2 region of HEV. These results will provide valuable hints for future research on HEV diversity

A Network Pharmacology Approach to Determine Active Compounds and Action Mechanisms of Ge-Gen-Qin-Lian Decoction for Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) herbal formulae can be valuable therapeutic strategies and drug discovery resources. However, the active ingredients and action mechanisms of most TCM formulae remain unclear. Therefore, the identification of potent ingredients and their actions is a major challenge in TCM research. In this study, we used a network pharmacology approach we previously developed to help determine the potential antidiabetic ingredients from the traditional Ge-Gen-Qin-Lian decoction (GGQLD) formula. We predicted the target profiles of all available GGQLD ingredients to infer the active ingredients by clustering the target profile of ingredients with FDA-approved antidiabetic drugs. We also applied network target analysis to evaluate the links between herbal ingredients and pharmacological actions to help explain the action mechanisms of GGQLD. According to the predicted results, we confirmed that a novel antidiabetic ingredient from Puerariae Lobatae radix (Ge-Gen), 4-Hydroxymephenytoin, increased the insulin secretion in RIN-5F cells and improved insulin resistance in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. The network pharmacology strategy used here provided a powerful means for identifying bioactive ingredients and mechanisms of action for TCM herbal formulae, including Ge-Gen-Qin-Lian decoction

Complete genome sequence of Escherichia coli Siphophage BRET

The lytic Escherichia coli siphophage BRET was isolated from a chicken obtained at a local market in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. Its linear genome sequence consists of 59,550 bp (43.4% GC content) and contains 88 predicted genes, including 4 involved in archaeosine biosynthesis. Phage BRET is related (95% nucleotide identity) to Enterobacteria phage JenK

Consumption of Goats’ Milk Protects Mice From Carbon Tetrachloride-Induced Acute Hepatic Injury and Improves the Associated Gut Microbiota Imbalance

Drugs used to treat liver diseases have serious side effects; it is important to search for safe functional foods with hepatoprotective functions and few side effects. In this study, potential hepatoprotective effects of goats’ milk and cows’ milk on mice with CCl4-induced acute hepatic injury were evaluated. We also elucidated the role of goats’ and cows’ milk on the regulation of CCl4-induced gut microbiota imbalance. In mice with liver damage induced by CCl4, administration of goats’ milk for 7 days prior to injection of CCl4 had beneficial effects on the indicators of liver damage within 1 day: the area of liver necrosis was small; activity of alanine transaminase (ALT) and aspartate transaminase (AST) and expression of the genes CYP2E1 and TNF-α were lower than that of model group of mice. By 7 days after CCl4 injection, there were no significant differences in liver damage indicators (ALT, AST, malondialdehyde, superoxide dismutase, and glutathione) between the goats’ milk group, which continued to receive goats’ milk, and the untreated control group of mice showing that goats’ milk continued to protect against liver damage. Throughout the entire experiment, the community of gut microbes from mice in the goats’ milk treatment was more similar to the untreated control group than to the cows’ milk group and the model group, indicating that intake of goats’ milk prior and post-CCl4 injection effectively prevented and alleviated the intestinal microbial disorder that caused by CCl4 in mice. Our research suggests that goats’ milk could be developed as a potential functional food to prevent/protect against liver injury

Mesenchymal stem cell-based therapy for radiation-induced lung injury

Abstract Since radiotherapy is widely used in managing thoracic tumors, physicians have begun to realize that radiation-induced lung injury (RILI) seriously limits the effects of radiotherapy. Unfortunately, there are still no effective methods for controlling RILI. Over the last few decades numerous studies have reported the beneficial effects of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) on tissue repair and regeneration. MSCs can not only differentiate into lung alveolar epithelial cells and secrete anti-inflammatory factors, but they also deliver some vehicles for gene therapy in repairing the injured lung, which provides new ideas for managing RILI. Thus, many scientists have attempted to manage RILI using MSC-based therapy. However, as a novel therapy MSCs still face various limitations. Herein, we shed light on the current understanding of MSC-based therapy for RILI, including the feasibility, molecular mechanisms, animal studies, and clinical research of MSC-based therapy for RILI. We also present an overview of RILI and MSCs

Table_1_Consumption of Goats’ Milk Protects Mice From Carbon Tetrachloride-Induced Acute Hepatic Injury and Improves the Associated Gut Microbiota Imbalance.xlsx

<p>Drugs used to treat liver diseases have serious side effects; it is important to search for safe functional foods with hepatoprotective functions and few side effects. In this study, potential hepatoprotective effects of goats’ milk and cows’ milk on mice with CCl₄-induced acute hepatic injury were evaluated. We also elucidated the role of goats’ and cows’ milk on the regulation of CCl₄-induced gut microbiota imbalance. In mice with liver damage induced by CCl₄, administration of goats’ milk for 7 days prior to injection of CCl₄ had beneficial effects on the indicators of liver damage within 1 day: the area of liver necrosis was small; activity of alanine transaminase (ALT) and aspartate transaminase (AST) and expression of the genes CYP2E1 and TNF-α were lower than that of model group of mice. By 7 days after CCl₄ injection, there were no significant differences in liver damage indicators (ALT, AST, malondialdehyde, superoxide dismutase, and glutathione) between the goats’ milk group, which continued to receive goats’ milk, and the untreated control group of mice showing that goats’ milk continued to protect against liver damage. Throughout the entire experiment, the community of gut microbes from mice in the goats’ milk treatment was more similar to the untreated control group than to the cows’ milk group and the model group, indicating that intake of goats’ milk prior and post-CCl₄ injection effectively prevented and alleviated the intestinal microbial disorder that caused by CCl₄ in mice. Our research suggests that goats’ milk could be developed as a potential functional food to prevent/protect against liver injury.</p

Unique Microbial Diversity and Metabolic Pathway Features of Fermented Vegetables From Hainan, China

Fermented vegetables are typically traditional foods made of fresh vegetables and their juices, which are fermented by beneficial microorganisms. Herein, we applied high-throughput sequencing and culture-dependent technology to describe the diversities of microbiota and identify core microbiota in fermented vegetables from different areas of Hainan Province, and abundant metabolic pathways in the fermented vegetables were simultaneously predicted. At the genus level, Lactobacillus bacteria were the most abundant. Lactobacillus plantarum was the most abundant species, followed by Lactobacillus fermentum, Lactobacillus pentosaceus, and Weissella cibaria. These species were present in each sample with average absolute content values greater than 1% and were thus defined as core microbiota. Analysis results based on the alpha and beta diversities of the microbial communities showed that the microbial profiles of the fermented vegetables differed significantly based on the regions and raw materials used, and the species of the vegetables had a greater effect on the microbial community structure than the region from where they were harvested. Regarding microbial functional metabolism, we observed an enrichment of metabolic pathways, including membrane transport, replication and repair and translation, which implied that the microbial metabolism in the fermented vegetables tended to be vigorous. In addition, Lactobacillus plantarum and Lactobacillus fermentum were calculated to be major metabolic pathway contributors. Finally, we constructed a network to better explain correlations among the core microbiota and metabolic pathways. This study facilitates an understanding of the differences in microbial profiles and fermentation pathways involved in the production of fermented vegetables, establishes a basis for optimally selecting microorganisms to manufacture high-quality fermented vegetable products, and lays the foundation for better utilizing tropical microbial resources

Genome adaptive evolution of Lactobacillus casei under long-term antibiotic selection pressures

Abstract Background The extensive use of antibiotics in medicine has raised serious concerns about biosafety. However, the effect of antibiotic application on the adaptive evolution of microorganisms, especially to probiotic bacteria, has not been well characterized. Thus, the objective of the current work was to investigate how antibiotic selection forces might drive genome adaptation using Lactobacillus (L.) casei Zhang as a model. Methods Two antibiotics, amoxicillin and gentamicin, were consistently applied to the laboratory culture of L. casei Zhang. We then monitored the mutations in the bacterial genome and changes in the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of these two antibiotics along a 2000-generation-cultivation lasted over 10 months. Results We found an approximately 4-fold increase in the genome mutation frequency of L. casei Zhang, i.e. 3.5 × 10-9 per base pair per generation under either amoxicillin or gentamicin stress, when compared with the parallel controls grown without application of any antibiotics. The increase in mutation frequency is significantly lower than that previously reported in Escherichia (E.) coli. The rate of de novo mutations, i.e. 20 per genome, remained low and stable throughout the long-term cultivation. Moreover, the accumulation of new mutations stopped shortly after the maximum bacterial fitness (i.e. the antibiotic MICs) was reached. Conclusions Our study has shown that the probiotic species, L. casei Zhang, has high genome stability even in the presence of long-term antibiotic stresses. However, whether this is a species-specific or universal characteristic for all probiotic bacteria remains to be explored